ARDBEG DISTILLERY • VISITOR CENTRE & OLD KILN CAFE
September to May • Monday to Friday • 10:00 to 16:00 • Tours at 11:30 and 14:30
(10:30 or 15:30 if these are booked)
June to August • open daily 10:00 to 17:00 • Tours at 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 and 15:30
Old Kiln Cafe open all year • Monday to Friday • June to August • open daily
Tel: 01496 302244 • Fax: 01496 302040
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • web: www.ardbeg.com

Visitor centre is nominated to recieve an AWA.dk AWArd..

Owner :

Old owner : Hiram Walker (since the 1950s)
Producer was : Allied Distillers
Since 1996 same owner as Glenmorangie

Founded:

Approximate 1815 by the McDougall family.
The distillery may have its origins as far back as 1794, and was definitely operating by 1817.

Water :

Lake Loch Arinambeast and its own private water source - Loch Uigeadale and Uigedale.

Remark :

The distillery have 1 wash still and 1 spirit still.
They use refill casks.

Michael Jackson writes : It's the earthiness of Ardbeg, its guests of peat smoke, leafy bonfires and tar, that make it the most traditional of island whiskies.

They use local barley and peat from in production.

From the book 'The Scottish Collection' - classic malts by Carol P. Shaw:
This distillery was opened in 1815 and was one of several established near the sea in an area which was originally used by smugglers. It was bought by Hiram Walker in the 1950's primarily to use its produce in belnding; blenders use Islay malts in the way that a chef might use a strong flavour like garlic.
Nearby Lochs Uigeadale and Arinambeast supply the water which, together with local peat, produces a distinctively Islay Malt. Ardbeg is operated by Allied Distillers but they do not sell its produce officially as a single malt.

From the book : Malt Whisky - A contemporary Guide - By Mr. Graham Moore :
Following the main A846 from Laphroaig and Lagavulin the road, barely wide enough for two cars to pass, suddenly makes a sharp right turn and you find yourself at the water's edge right in the middle of Ardbeg Distillery. The road which continues another four miles to Kildalton Church seems almost an afterthought.
Ardbeg was founded by the Macdougall family in 1815, which makes it the second oldest disyillery on Islay. The area was used by a gang of smugglers whose activities were only curtailed when the Excise watchers seized a large quantity of illicit whisky, a coup which led to the break-up of the gang and the start of a ligitimate operation. The distillery was privately owned until it was taken over by Hiram Walker in 1979, but its future became uncertain when Walker's merged with Allied Vintners and it closed in 1983. It reopned in the late 1980's, although operation below capacity, was mothballed again in august 1996, and subsequently sold to the owners of Glenmorangie.
Peat plays an important part in Ardbeg's flavour and in this part of Islay it is particularly good, being free of sulphur and other undesirable minerals. Until its closure the distillery was able to make all its own malt, the last distillery on Islay to be able to do so, and the kilning was done exclusively over peat fires (most distillers only kiln for part of the time over peat). With no fans in the pagodas to draw the peat smoke upwards it would diffuse slowly through the malt, infusing its reek into the grain. The mailt had to be turned regularly during the kilning to prevent it from stewing. The water too picks up its own flavour, flowing over peat and heather on its 3-mile journey to the distillery from Loch Uigeadail.
Ardbeg has never worked to an enormous capacity. It has only six washbacks and a single pair of stills. Fermentation takes longer than normal, at about 60 hours, and only one type of yeast is used. The spirit still has purifier fitted. In its early days it could make only 600 gallons per week. By the time of its closure this figure had risen to an annual output of about 300.000 gallons, still way below that of most other Islay distilleries. Perhaps understandably, Ardbeg Single Malt has never been widely available and was at one time only sold in a couple of local hotels and to company shareholders. Most of its production went to blenders, although its pungency may have made its market a limited one, which in turn could have accounted for the distillery's temporary closure. It seemed that Ardbeg was destined to stay in the background of Allied Distillers' operations as a poor relation of its sister Laphroaig, with whom it shared many of its characteristics. Its acquisition by Glenmorangie gives it hope of a new lease of life.

in 1891 By William Teachers Sons, and built in 1898Expanded in 1955 and 1974.

Owner :

Allied Distillers Ltd. A part of Allied Domecq.

Producer :

Allied Distillers Ltd.

Water :

Springs from Knockandy Hill / A spring on Knockandy Hill.

Remark :

Ardmore is used in the Teacher's blendsKnown as 12 or 18 Years Old or vintage Vol : 46%

Ardmore Distillery has preserved the original steam engine and coal-fired stills.Here is a rip from The Scotch DocArdmore Distillery is located near the ancient villages of Spynie and Kennethmont in rural Aberdeenshire.It was established by William Teacher in 1898 in response to the 1890's whisky boom.It is a staple in his successors' blended whisky, Highland Cream.The distillery originally had only two stills but two additional stills were added in 1955. The stills were increased to eight in 1974.An "official" bottling of Ardmore single malt is very rare but independent bottlings can be found from time to time.

Remark from Gordon & MacPhailSituated at Kennethmont by Huntly, Ardmore produces a full-bodied Highland whisky.Its rich smoky character is a vital component of Teachers Blended Whisky. As a single malt it has a depth and a complexity which make it an ideal after dinner drink. Ardmore is not widely known as a single malt, but its qualities as such were endorsed earlier this year when it received recognition as 'highly recommended' in a Blind Panel Tasting held by Decanter Magazine. With its pungent peaty taste, Ardmore has always been a vital element in a famous and distinguished blended Scotch Whisky, Teachers Highland Cream and, as we discovered during our visit to the distillery, almost all of its production does actually go for blending. Fortunately, with the authority of the distillery owners, Allied Distillers, some of this distinctive whisky is bottled and sold as a single malt by Gordon & MacPhail. Ardmore comes from a distillery set deep in the hills of Aberdeenshire, close to the village of Kennethmont. The rolling hills in this area are covered with fertile farm land. The elegant National Trust Leith Hall is situated on the outskirts of Kennethmont and the main railway line from Inverness to Aberdeen runs beside the distillery itself. It was William Teacher's son, Adam who organised the construction of Ardmore in 1898. These were the years when there was a boom in the whisky industry. Over the intervening years Ardmore has continued to prosper and is now one of the larger and most modern Scotch Whisky distilleries, with a total capacity reaching some three million litres. Walking around the distillery, there are a great many reminders of the past. The original steam engine, that used to power the whole operation, still stands proudly gleaming, somewhat incongruous, behind the modern malting plant used to grind the grain. Mounted on the wall in the Mash Room, is the side plate of the distillery's original mash tun, while the walls of the Manager's office are decorated with the portraits of the original workforce. When the distillery was established and for many years thereafter, supplies of barley and coal were transported to the distillery by rail. The distillery had its own siding which was also used to load the casks of mature whisky when they were being dispatched to Teachers in the south. Today some of the buildings which formed the station still stand and mark a bygone era. Ardmore draws its water from 14 springs on the Knockandy Hill, which lies to the south of the distillery, cooling water comes from the burns nearby. Until the late 1970s, barley was malted at the distillery itself, but in recent years supplies have come from local commercial maltsters. The fuller more pungent flavour of the whisky produced here, in contrast to many other Highland malts, is due to the relatively high peating levels of the barley. Malt storage is about 1,000 tonnes and the traditional copper domed mash tun of a notable 25 feet in diameter mashes 12.0 tonnes. There are 14 wooden wash backs, which have a total capacity of 90,000 litres. The wash remains here for approximately 48 hours until the fermentation process is complete and is then fed to the four wash stills. Ardmore was initially built with two stills, it was extended in 1958, when a further two stills were added. In 1975, the capacity was doubled with another four stills, all copies of the original stills. The still room today is the distillery's pride and joy and the reasoning for this becomes self-evident. Viewed from the high-level entrance to the still room, the stills present a magnificent sight - a row of eight elegantly shaped copper stills, each with an equal capacity of 15,000 litres. The spirit stills vary slightly in shape from the wash stills in that they have a slightly taller neck. One of the most striking factors about this still room, however, is that the stills are heated in the traditional manner, direct with coal furnaces. This is quite unusual as there are not many distilleries remaining now which use coal. The stills have thick bases and chain rummagers inside which stop the content from burning. The condensors are situated inside the still house and a heat recovering system has been in operation for many years. The old distillery maltings have been converted into a filling store. Casks are stored in the extensive warehouses which are adjacent to the distillery. From the old maltings, our tour took us to the cooperage - another memorable part of our visit to Ardmore. The distillery has its own cooperage, where casks are prepared prior to filling with new whisky. On occasions this entails the firing or char-ring of the inside of the cask to help with the maturing of the whisky. The fact that Ardmore is very much a traditional distillery was evident throughout our visit - even to the point of the customary distillery cat - this one being three legged - warming itself by the heat of the glowing coals in the still room. But perhaps the reminders of the past that are found all over the distillery are significant in so far as they suggest a continued commitment to the quality of fine malt that has been produced there for so many years.

From the book 'The Scottish Collection' Classic malts by Carol P. Shaw:Tasting notes : A full-bodied Speyside malt wich is both robust and sweet. An ideal after-dinner dram, although it is not easy to come by; available as a single malt only through independent bottlers. Tasting rating = 4The distillery at Ardmore was built in 1898 by the Teacher family of whisky merchants and blenders. Since that time almost all its production has gone into Teacher's blends, most famously Highland Cream. Today it is operated by Allied Distillers, so its product also features prominently in Allied's other belnds. Although the distillery has been modernized it still retains some of the original equipment, such as coal-fired stills, which were used in the production of whisky at the end of the nineteenth century.

From the Whisky pilot by Uniqum Systems :Ardmore distillery was founded in 1898 by Wm. Teacher, on the Eastern edge of Speyside at Kennethmont. The distillery was built as part of a major expansion programme for the company's popular blended whiskies. Originally it featured to two stills but has doubled in size twice - four stills in 1955 and eight stills in 1974.Just one year after it being built the whisky market collapsed due to over supply, but Ardmore survived, much due to the fact that it was built to maintain malt supplies for Teachers' Highland Cream.Today, the distillery is operated by Allied Distillers Ltd, a part of Allied Domecq. The stills are still coal fired and the steam engine, boiler front and other relics of the original distillery are preserved.Currently one of the largest malt whisky distilleries in Scotland.Ardmore is from the Gaelic word, Ard-moi, which means `big-slope'.Ardmore is situated alongside the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line, below the 1,425 ft Knockandy Hill. Close by is Leith Hall.The water is taken from a spring on Knockandy Hill.

From Collins Pocket Reference : WhiskyNow owned by United Distillers, Sanderson is the producer of The Antiquary. The company was one of the blenders who began trading in the early to mid nineteenth century, who were responsible for the popularizing of blended whiskies in the lucrative market of southern England. Sanderson was also a founder of the North British Distillery company in 1885, ensuring supplies of good grain whisky for his blends.Comments : A smooth, well balanced, premium blend which displays the mellowness expected from its blend of whiskies all aged 12 years and over.